Considered an “urban symphony”, Cavalcanti's Rien que les heures shows a day in Paris, from dusk until dawn. The film is notable for the director's unusual focus on those whom “progress” has ruthlessly left behind.
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“Whenever a young enthusiast insists that I see one of his films, which he ingeniously has classified as experimental, my acceptance is always filled with reservations. And, invariably I have come to ask the same question: Experiment of what sort? The producers of those films remind me of young children who, seeing their older brothers comment on their chemistry lessons, supply themselves with an inquiet spirit of investigation and combine in a container vinegar, eau de cologne, gasoline, and at times, for want of another ingredient, they add a certain liquid of personal production. Experiment without definite purpose is not experiment.”
Alberto Cavalcanti1
“John Grierson has remarked on the importance of Rien que les heures: ‘Paris was cross-sectioned in its contrasts—ugliness and beauty, wealth and poverty, hopes and fears. For the first time the word “symphony” was used, rather than story.’”
Emir Rodriguez Monegal2
